We Walk Into the Sky
by halaure
Summary: The trio had to start somewhere: Makoto, Kousuke, and Chiaki's beginning. Hopefully will include all flashbacks from Makoto's last leap and more. Formerly called Emergence of Camaraderie.
1. Stupid Paper

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Summary - The trio had to start somewhere: Makoto, Kousuke, and Chiaki's beginning. Hopefully will include all flashbacks from Makoto's last leap. And more.

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Makoto Konno looked beautiful today, Kousuke decided. He was staring at her from above his book that he was pretending to read. Makoto was chewing on her pencil, looking equal parts confused and frustrated.

"Argh!" she shouted.

Kousuke let his eyes rest on Makoto for another few seconds before quickly darting them to his book again. The words looked fuzzy and unclear. There was no way he could focus on this, whatever it was.

"Need help?"

She jumped about half a foot into the air. Kousuke chuckled silently. Makoto looked around wildly before her eyes came to him.

Kousuke put the book down and walked over to the table where Makoto sat. It was filled with papers messily strewn about. Eraser shavings were everywhere. There was a pile of books under there somewhere. Kousuke had seen her toss one away from her about five minutes ago with a loud groan of anger.

"Um, yes."

Makoto looked at him warily as he sat down next to her. He almost grinned.

"What are you working on?" Kousuke asked, glancing at the paper she was holding.

"Some stupid paper for an even stupider class," Makoto muttered darkly.

Kousuke smiled a little as he took the paper from her hands. Her handwriting was messy and she pressed down too hard on the paper.

"Okay, so here's what you do," Kousuke began. He spent the rest of the afternoon helping Makoto with her homework.

He didn't know why he was attracted to her. She certainly wasn't the type of girl he thought he wanted. He had been friends with her when they were small, but they had grown apart. Kousuke hadn't even noticed her again until she had a desk next to his. He didn't understand why he felt captivated by the sound of her voice or why he was won over at her smile. And they hadn't even said two words to each other since they were six.

With a sigh of satisfaction, Makoto stood up and stretched her arms above her head.

"Whew! Thanks a lot, Kousuke! You really saved me, there!"

Makoto smiled at him, and he felt butterflies in his stomach.

Kousuke looked around Makoto and saw the baseball mitt sitting by her bag.

"You like baseball?" he asked.

"I love it!" Makoto's smile widened to a grin. "How about you?"

Kousuke had always had his head buried in a book. He never really found a use for sports, really. He exercised enough to keep healthy, but beyond that, well, he had his studies to attend to. Baseball had never really seemed very important to him.

"I love it too." Kousuke hadn't really lied, necessarily. He had never really given baseball a chance, so how could he know if he did or didn't like it until he tried it? Maybe he'd try it and love it like he said he did. At any rate, he'd better read a book about it or something.

"Hey, that's great! We should play together sometime. I could pitch and you could bat, or you could pitch and I could bat, or we could just toss around the ball!" Makoto said excitedly.

Kousuke smiled. "Yeah, sounds good. I'll see you around, Makoto."

"'Kay! Thanks for helping me, Kousuke!"

"Anytime," Kousuke said, sincerely meaning it as he turned and walked away, giving Makoto a little wave as he left.

As he left the building, Kousuke slumped. How in the world was he going to learn how to play baseball?

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**Author's Note: Review if you feel like it. At your leisure. Chapters may or may not always be this short. If you have any questions, you can always PM me. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Superior by a Landslide Practically

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Summary - The trio had to start somewhere: Makoto, Kousuke, and Chiaki's beginning. Hopefully will include all flashbacks from Makoto's last leap. And more.

* * *

"Wow, Kousuke! How are you so great at this?"

Makoto grinned as the baseball flew way over her head. She could have sworn she felt a breeze ruffle her short hair. That was weird. There had been no wind today. It couldn't have been the baseball. Could it?

"I'm nothing special," Kousuke said, shrugging his shoulders. He leaned casually on the bat as he watched the baseball grow smaller and smaller. Hmph. Makoto frowned. They both knew how well he played baseball. He was just being modest. Well, fine.

Makoto smirked. "Well, you may be good. But I'm better!" She pointed a proud thumb at her chest. Sure, he could bat pretty well. But Makoto's skills were far superior, by a landslide practically.

"Hey, Makoto." Kousuke frowned slightly. "Who's going to get the ball?"

"You hit it!" Makoto pointed an accusing baseball glove at Kousuke. "_You _get it."

Kousuke's eyes widened and he put his hands in front of his chest in defense. "You're the one with the glove. Weren't you supposed to catch it?"

"No!" Makoto lied. "I'm just the pitcher! We don't have a catcher. You hit it, you get it. That's the rule."

Kousuke pursed his lips a little, but went after the ball anyway. As he walked past her, Makoto could hear him muttering something about stupid made up rules. Makoto rolled her eyes and smiled smugly as he started jogging toward the ball.

Makoto had been really surprised when Kousuke helped her with homework the other day. She hadn't really spoken to him since they were little kids. But it was great talking to him again! She had seen him around, sometimes. He seemed to always have his head stuck in a book, so it surprised Makoto a little that he liked to play baseball so much.

Kousuke didn't really seem to have that many friends. He had seemed like a quiet kind of guy, like somebody who liked to be alone. But, now Kousuke was hanging out with her, so maybe she was wrong? But why would he want to spend time with _her_?

Makoto noticed that Kousuke was huffing a bit as he jogged back. He had really hit that baseball far.

"My turn!"

Makoto snatched the bat from Kousuke's hands and tossed him the glove. She ran to the make-shift home plate and got ready to swing.

Makoto smiled knowingly. Just wait. She was going to show him.

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**Author's Note: Review if the mood strikes. Not very long, and I don't have very much faith in the length of the other chapters. Thanks for reading!**


	3. It's Just Weird

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Summary - The trio had to start somewhere: Makoto, Kousuke, and Chiaki's beginning. Hopefully will include all flashbacks from Makoto's last leap. And more.

* * *

Kousuke noticed Makoto was shivering a little. He frowned. It wasn't that cold in here, was it? He shrugged. It was probably nothing. If Makoto wasn't comfortable, she'd tell him. Right?

"Makoto, are you cold?" Kousuke asked, turning slightly in his chair to look more closely at her face. She was grimacing.

"No." Makoto shook her head. "It's just so, so _weird_ in here."

Kousuke glanced around the public library building. Something weird? He sniffed the air, subtly he hoped. It smelled the same as always: like old paper and fresh ink. And everything looked the same. The same librarian was working quietly behind the counter, and the same tables by the windows were filled with students catching up on last minute homework. The soft hush of the building hadn't changed, either. So, what?

"Weird?" Kousuke asked.

Makoto glanced around warily. "Yeah. Everything's so quiet! It's not like the school library, you know, where someone is always gossiping in the corner and making some sort of noise. It's just weird. There's a lot of people in here and they're all being completely silent," she whispered. "It makes me nervous. I think if I talked like normal I would get _arrested_."

Kousuke looked down at his paper and took a quick note, chuckling slightly, before turning back to Makoto. Her eyes were wide, darting around the library. She was sincerely anxious.

"Don't worry," Kousuke said, trying to reassure her. "I've never seen anyone arrested. Some kids that were causing trouble got kicked out once, but the library staff doesn't usually bring the in the authorities. So, you've never been to the public library before today?"

Makoto shook her head. "Nope. I just do everything at home, or at the school's library. Are you here a lot?"

"No, not that often."

Well, it depended on what _a lot_ meant as a unit of measurement. If it meant he came twice daily, then no, he wasn't here _a lot_. Really, five times a week wasn't _that_ excessive. He had a lot of things to get done, and he liked the library's atmosphere and resources. Right.

Makoto looked a little doubtful, but she didn't say anything. She let out an anxious huff, then turned back to her homework.

They worked side by side for a few hours. Kousuke managed to get some decent work done, though from time to time he'd turn his head slightly to look at Makoto. She chewed on her pencil again. Kousuke smiled. He thought it was cute.

"That was actually-" Makoto stood up and stretched her arms above her head "-pretty nice! It was so quiet! I could really focus!"

Kousuke looked down at Makoto's papers. They were messily filled out with many doodles in the margins. Seeing that he was looking, Makoto quickly snatched her papers away and shoved them into her bag.

"I did!" she insisted.

"Okay," Kousuke agreed.

Makoto could tell that he didn't believe her. She huffed a little in indignation. A slight scowl was forming on her face. Kousuke almost rolled his eyes. He stopped himself and settled for a small smirk.

As they left the building, the librarian looked up from her book and spotted Kousuke.

"Hello, Kousuke!" She even waved. Kousuke lifted his hand and waved a little back. He glanced at Makoto, hoping she didn't notice. She did.

Once they were outside, Makoto stopped. "The librarians know your name?" she asked, smirking.

Kousuke felt his ears go a little red. "Well, I-" he put a nervous hand to the back of his neck "-she's a family friend."

"Right." Makoto began to walk again, and Kousuke followed, glad that she hadn't asked anything more. She stopped again, abruptly. Kousuke stumbled a bit as he brought himself to a halt, too.

"Do you really like baseball?" Makoto asked, her face serious.

"Honestly?" Kousuke asked, smiling a bit sheepishly. "I hadn't really cared for it until we started playing. But now, I'm starting to like it." Makoto kept staring at him with that serious face. "And I'm pretty good at it too, so, that's good." Her eyes never left his. His hand flew to neck again. "And I guess you could say that I come to the library a lot."

Makoto nodded, looking satisfied. "Well, I was thinking that sometime we should get at least one more person to play baseball with us. Then you wouldn't have to run for the ball. And maybe we should do karaoke sometime, too! That would be really fun! I was thinking that I wanted to go to that new bookstore to get some magazines. And they say that this one restaurant has the best sandwiches! Oh! My sister did the stupidest thing the other day-"

Makoto continued to talk as they walked, and Kousuke thought he had never felt so relieved in his life. Whew.

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**Author's Note: Review when the mood strikes. A bit longer this time. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Filled with Food

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Summary - The trio had to start somewhere: Makoto, Kousuke, and Chiaki's beginning. Hopefully will include all flashbacks from Makoto's last leap. And more.

* * *

Makoto munched on her sandwich.

"Hey, Kousuke?" Her mouth was filled with food, but who cared? It was only Kousuke.

"Yeah?" Kousuke replied quickly. He glanced at her, and Makoto promptly shut her mouth tight. She reddened a bit.

"When did you get your ear pierced?" Makoto couldn't help but stare at his left earlobe ever since she noticed the reddish colored earring. It seemed like a very un-Kousuke thing for him to do. He was always so busy. When would he have time to get his ear pierced?

Kousuke grimaced as he swallowed his food loudly. "What?"

"Has it always been like that?" Makoto tilted her head a little. Maybe she'd see better at a different angle. "Why haven't I noticed it before? But really, when'd you get it?"

"I, um-" Kousuke looked a bit nervous, Makoto thought.

"It's okay. You can tell me!" Makoto leaned in a bit closer. Just in case he said something quietly.

"Um-" Kousuke glanced down at the ground "-Hey! Er, nice shoes."

Makoto frowned. She'd let the earring go. For now.

"Really?" She clicked her heels together.

"Yeah." Kousuke nodded. "They're great."

Makoto pursed her lips and frowned. "Well I hate my feet. They're so _big_! I mean, just look at them!" Makoto lifted her legs and pointed at the offending appendages. "What do you think?"

"I, um-"

The school bell rang.

"Time for class," Kousuke said quickly, gathering his things.

Makoto nodded and stuffed the remaining bits of her sandwich into her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kousuke sigh. With relief, she guessed.

Hmph. He was lucky. This time.

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**Author's Note: Review if you want. No pressure. Chiaki should be making an appearance soon. Very short, and I can't guarantee longer. Thanks for reading!**


	5. This Sinking Feeling

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Summary - The trio had to start somewhere: Makoto, Kousuke, and Chiaki's beginning. Hopefully will include all flashbacks from Makoto's last leap. And more.

* * *

He almost told her once. Kousuke being Kousuke, he had everything planned out. The only thing he couldn't predict was Makoto's reaction.

He'd like to think things were going pretty well. They'd been eating lunch together every other day and played baseball whenever Makoto could drag him away from the library, but Kousuke still wasn't convinced. Makoto hadn't given any sign that she liked him in same way, and Kousuke was a pretty smart guy - if she had given him signals, he'd probably have picked them up. Definitely.

As it was, Kousuke was going to confess no matter how slim the odds were. Today after class, they had planned on baseball and a dinner, (Kousuke would be paying as per the agreements of their last bet. Which would make this his third loss in a row.) and Kousuke was going to tell her right after dessert. He had the timing down and had skimmed through enough romance novels to have a decent amount of confidence in the wording of his confession, but Kousuke still felt nervous.

He was trying not to stare at Makoto (unsuccessfully) when the new student came in. Makoto's hair was sticking up messily from her mad dash into the classroom before the bell, and Kousuke thought she looked adorable. She was looking at the blackboard sleepily, and Kousuke couldn't help but wonder what her expression would look like when he finally told her he liked her. Which started off a whole new round of nerves. And was that sweat on his forehead?

So Kousuke didn't even notice when the new student sat down in the seat behind him. He _did _pick up on Makoto's sideways glances, and Kousuke tried to be discreet as he shot a glance at whatever Makoto was looking at.

The first thing he saw was orange. Who would dye their hair that obnoxious color? Kousuke definitely would have recognized a guy with this weird of hair – so he must be new. Come to think of it, maybe Kousuke had heard something about a new student in between his glances at Makoto and worrying about tonight. What had the teacher said?

Kousuke decided to put that aside. He had enough to worry about and a test to study for. There was plenty of time to learn names later, and something about the guy's face just read as detached. Who knew if they were ever even going to have a conversation?

Kousuke was on edge the entire day. He just couldn't shake that nervous, pit-of-the-stomach feeling. He couldn't understand how some guys had multiple girlfriends if it was this terrifying just asking out one. Kousuke managed to distract himself a little by diving into his schoolwork, but by the end of school, he felt like a wreck.

"Is there something wrong, Kousuke? We don't have to play baseball today," Makoto said, glancing at Kousuke's face.

"No!" Kousuke replied. (Too anxiously. Damn.) "I'm fine. Let's get going. It's great weather for baseball, isn't it?"

"It is, right?" Makoto agreed enthusiastically. "It's so nice out! I wish they'd let us have classes outside. I think even the teachers would like that. It's just too stuffy in the classrooms all day. I don't know how you can focus, Kousuke. I just get so bored of that tiny room! It's suffocating!"

Kousuke listened to Makoto's ramblings with a sense of dread. Soon they'd be playing baseball. Then they'd be eating. Then he'd ask her out. Then she . . . well, Kousuke didn't know what would come after that, and that was the problem. His stomach was in knots, and he felt tense, and he almost didn't hear what Makoto was saying until she shook his shoulder.

"Kousuke, did you hear me? I said I think there's a fight over there!" Makoto stood on her tiptoes as if she could see better by being a few inches taller. "I think it's that new guy!"

As she bounded over to the scene of the commotion, Kousuke had this sinking feeling that his plans tonight were ruined.

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**Author's Note: Review if you feel like it. Unfortunately, that's also how I update. What can you do?**


	6. Everyone Likes Sandwiches

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Summary - The trio had to start somewhere: Makoto, Kousuke, and Chiaki's beginning. Hopefully will include all flashbacks from Makoto's last leap. And more.

* * *

Kosuke and his damned Words of the Day were driving Makoto crazy. _Malapropos_. Unseasonable or inappropriate. _Flout_. To treat with contempt or disregard. _Incongruous_. Lacking in harmony. Were words really that much fun? It wasn't that Makoto didn't like to learn, she just didn't particularly enjoy being reminded of how little she actually knew. And Kosuke's ever-expanding vocabulary made her feel as if they were speaking two different languages.

But she had to admit: today's word was actually sort of relevant. _Aloof_. Not friendly or forthcoming. She hadn't realized it before (since she'd hadn't known the meaning of the word until recently), but cool and distant was a pretty accurate description of a certain orange-headed classmate. He avoided anyone's attempts at a conversation, and his cold charisma wasn't exactly winning him any friends.

_Aloof_. _Aloof_. _Aloof_. Makoto scribbled the word absentmindedly onto her math notes, glancing over at Mamiya. He'd fallen asleep again, his head drooping against his chest and his ridiculously orange hair falling over his eyes. Makoto sighed. He'd probably get better grades asleep than she would awake. Maybe she would start taking Koske's Words of the Day more seriously.

As the class dismissed for lunch, Mamiya snorted awake, and Makoto hid a snicker. Her smirk faded as she caught sight of his wounded lip and bruised cheek - evidence of the fight on his first day of school. Makoto had rushed over to the scene as it was dying down. The boys had already been separated, and the crowd was beginning to disperse. But no one had stayed with Mamiya.

Makoto had no idea what had caused the fight, but even if she had, she'd still have been flooded with sympathy. It was a rough start to a new school, and Makoto was clumsy enough to know that humiliating situations were not forgotten quickly by her classmates. She approached him with determination. No way was Makoto going to treat the new student like an outcast on his first day. That would be too cruel.

"Are you okay?" Makoto had asked, not noticing Kosuke as he walked up beside her.

Mamiya lifted his head slowly, glancing at the intruders with unease. "Who're you?"

"I'm Tsuda, and this is Konno," Kosuke had said good-naturedly.

Makoto held out her hand. "Here. How about a sandwich? I'll pay."

The orange haired boy was silent for a moment before standing and brushing past her outstretched arm. "That's a shitty idea," Mamiya said before walking away. He hadn't even met Makoto's eye.

Kosuke patted Makoto on the back. "I guess he doesn't like sandwiches."

"Yeah. I guess so." Makoto quickly lowered her hand, feeling like an idiot. Whatever that boy's problem was - be it a weird food aversion or an eleventh toe - Makoto wasn't going to give up. She would make the new student feel welcome despite the embarrassment. Because in the few minutes she'd seen his face up close, his expression had betrayed an intense loneliness that Makoto couldn't stand.

Most of the class had left for lunch, and Kosuke waited by the door of the classroom as Makoto haphazardly shoved her schoolwork away. She was about to leave when she turned to the new student. He had readjusted himself and was settling down for another nap - but Makoto wasn't about to let him go hungry.

"Hey," she said, prodding his shoulder. "I know you don't like sandwiches, so I brought something different today."

Mamiya yawned and looked up dazedly. "What are you talking about?"

"I really don't understand why you don't like sandwiches. Is it because of the bread? Or the meat? Or do you not like Western food? Well, it doesn't matter because Kosuke doesn't like _pudding_ and we're still friends." Makoto dragged a very confused Mamiya out of his chair and pulled him over to the door. "Right, Kosuke? It's weird but I don't mind."

"Sure, Makoto. But not liking pudding isn't that abnormal. But _everyone_ likes sandwiches."

As Makoto and Kosuke continued to discuss food preferences, they didn't notice Mamiya's half-hearted attempts at escape or his small smile when Makoto refused to lighten her death grip on his arm. Makoto only knew that aloof meant cold and distant, and that one more person would be joining them for lunch for the rest of the school year.

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**Author's Note: Review if you'd like. I was struck with inspiration at about four in the morning, which was great for this story, but bad for my dark circles. Oh well. Thanks for reading!**


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